Lorain Public Library System Board Of Trustees Welcomes Susan Jane Hatch
The Lorain Public Library System (LPLS) is pleased to welcome Susan Jane Hatch, of Sheffield Lake, to its Board of Trustees.
“A Library is a wonderful, magical place that transports you somewhere else,” Hatch said.
“In a day and age that everything costs so much money, the Domonkas Library and all of Lorain Public Library System offers so much and for free. That’s one of the greatest benefits of Libraries,” she said.
Hatch will fill the unexpired term of Trustee Douglas Petersen, for the period of January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2017. Petersen served for 14 years.
She said her goals while serving on the Library Board include spreading the perception of the Library as a friendly place for learning new skills, keeping the Library up-to-date and looking to fulfill its future needs.
Hatch, whose background includes office management and education, is currently serving as the secretary for The Friends of the Domonkas Library.
She is also currently taking classes in American Sign Language, and she hopes to help someone “hear” the answers to his or her questions one day, she said.
Serving on the Library Board “is a good fit for me at this time,” Hatch said.
“I have five children and we lived at the (Domonkas) Library. You get to a point that you want to give back, she said. “This is something where I might be able to serve back,” she said.
She and her husband have four daughters, one son and 16 grandchildren.
Her children now live in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Columbus, and Lakewood.
The Library has played an important role in her family, who share the love of reading.
“I’m a big proponent of reading and my children love reading,” Hatch said.
Some books she’s going to start reading include C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, Silent No More: Victim 1's Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky, and Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite: The Science of Monsters by Matt Kaplan.
That’s if her husband doesn’t get to those books first.
“Every time I bring home a book from the Library, my husband disappears with it,” she laughed. “He likes to read about one novel a year, preferring other book genres, but for some reason ends up picking the books I bring.”
Reading and Libraries have always been a part of her life.
At Domonkas “My children did their homework and their research for school, made friends there,” Hatch said. “It was a nice, warm welcoming place.”
Her best memories of Domonkas were taking her children to story times and borrowing books from the Library, and even using the computers.
“I happen to love computers now, but I didn’t start out that way,” she laughed. “I’m converted to computers now.”
At Domonkas Branch Library, she and her family have attended adult and children craft classes and cooking classes. Plus, she’s attended book clubs.
Her parents were also members of the Friends of the Domonkas Library and helped with its Book Sales.
As a grandmother now, she hopes to pass along the love of Libraries to her grandchildren.
At the most recent Domonkas Book Sale, she was able to buy great children’s books for her grandchildren.
Her family also shares the belief in civic service.
Driven by her Christian belief of serving, her third oldest daughter used to volunteer at the Domonkas Branch Library, she said.
The Library – A Magical Place
Hatch’s first cherished memory of a Library dates back to when she was a child and her mom would take her to a Parma Library for story times.
“The Library had this one section of the wall shelves where a librarian would tap it and this hidden door would open, and the children would enter into this magical place, a special room for stories” she said.
Hatch also said she really appreciates that LPLS is part of the CLEVNET library consortium.
LPLS is one of 38 Libraries that is a CLEVNET member, allowing us to offer over 10 million items and one of the largest eMedia collections in the country to our library patrons. “Books are so easy to find online,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to this,” (serving on the Library Board), she said.
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